David Ricker is a 2006 1B/LHP with a 6'2'', 200 lb. frame from Edneyville, North Carolina, who attends Hendersonville HS. Defensively he has good hands at first base with nice footwork around the bag. At the plate he is a switch hitter with similar approaches from both sides of the plate. He uses a line drive swing plane with a short and compact swing. Ricker has quick hands, especially on the inside pitch, and stays inside the ball well. There is strength in his swing and he shows projectable power. As many followers of HS baseball know, Ricker is not only a switch hitter, but he is also a switch pitcher. He can comfortably pitch with both arms and can get hitters out either way. His fastball topped out at 85 while throwing left handed, and 83 while throwing right handed. He has solid arm speed with a quick motion to the plate, but has a live arm. He also has a plus change, and a late breaking slider with hard bite. He seemed to hurt himself when he was pitching right handed as he continually stretched out his back. He is a fun player to watch, and has the ability to help a college team on the mound and at the plate. He is an outstanding student as well.

David Ricker is a 2006 pitcher/first baseman from Hendersonville HS in Edneyville, NC, with a 6'2", 200 lb. frame. He's a very unique athlete in that he is completely ambidextrious. Ricker pitches both right handed and left handed at a prospect level and is a switch-hitter as a position player. He threw from both sides an inning apart in one of the showcase games, retiring the side in order both innings. From the left side, Ricker throws with a little better arm speed and a little lower release point than right handed. His delivery is solid mechanically and low effort from both sides and he can spin the ball equally well. Ricker threw 80 mph left handed and we've seen him up to 87-88 mph this summer from this side. Left handed seems to be his primary throwing side and he shows some polish as a southpaw. We've seen him less frequently as a right handed pitcher and his fastball topped out at 83 mph in Atlanta. At the right college program it's very easy to see Ricker pitching both ways whether it be different games during the week or different game situations within one game. As a hitter, Ricker shows good bat speed with some loft in his swing and has some power, especially from the left side. He tends to pull off pitches but the ball jumps on contact. Ricker is also an outstanding student with his eye on some very good academic schools. It will be fun to watch him develop as a unique talent and we're hoping that an imaginative college coach takes advantage of his skills.

Ricker is a strong bodied junior pitcher/first baseman from North Carolina. He has solid overall strength but is very young for the 2006 class. There’s no other way to express it but Ricker is a unique player, one of a type that only comes along once every couple of years at most. He’s completely ambidextrous throwing the ball and although he only took BP left handed, lists himself as a switch hitter. To complicate matters further, Ricker lists himself as a primary LHP and we think, based on this dual observation, that he’s a better right handed pitching prospect. From the left side, Ricker has a short, fairly quick arm stroke with good looseness out front. His left handed fastball topped out at 81 mph but he pitches mostly in the 77-78 mph range. Ricker’s 66-68 mph curveball and 69 mph changeup were good pitches and he spotted everything well. Right handed, Ricker had a longer, smoother and looser arm action and better overall arm speed. Although his left handed mechanics were solid, his right handed mechanics were even better. His fastball topped out at 83 mph and was constantly in the 80’s. He threw a 71 mph slurve that had some sharpness to it. Bottom line is that with his age, arm looseness, pitching mechanics, athletic ability and present stuff, Ricker is a prospect from both sides on the mound. Ricker can also swing the bat. He showed very good raw power in batting practice and followed that up with two long triples off the right to right centerfield fence in game action. Ricker is also a top of the line student with his eyes on some of the top academic schools in the country.